Celebrations by the AIADMK cadre following the win in the bypoll was corresponded by jubilation in the DMDK camp on Friday, initially leaving many in a confused state. It later turned out that the DMDK cadre were in fact celebrating as their party candidate N Jahir Hussain managed to retain the election deposit.
“People keenly and carefully watched our activities and honoured our hard work,” Hussain later told reporters.
The party polled 30,500 votes, thus garnering the requisite one-sixth of the total valid votes to retain the deposit.This was an improvement from the 4.5 per cent of total votes the party secured in the 2008 Assembly polls, when it polled just 6,880 votes, and in the 2009 Parliamentary elections.Party cadre asserted that the “big leap” showed that the DMDK has the capacity to replace the DMK as the main opposition in the State even when contesting alone. Cadre said the only objective of the party was to retain its deposit, as it was a “prestigious issue” for their leader Vijayakant.